How To Be A Great Place To Work During A Pandemic

Thu, Apr 23rd, 2020

Christie Moffat.

It’s one thing to be considered a good employer when things are normal. But what about when a pandemic hits?

Being a great place to work hasn’t typically meant having the fanciest amenities or perks, even in the best of times. Amid the mass work-from-home experiment, some lauded employers are discovering that robust communication, frequent employee surveys and acts of compassion are going a long way to keep workers happy and maintain corporate culture without in-person touch points.

“If we continually stay engaged with them and provide them a culture in which they can succeed, they will work very hard on our behalf, and that’s just always kind of been our secret,” Transwestern Executive Vice President of Human Resources Colleen Dolan said Transwestern made Houston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list for 2019, the most recent year available. The company has about 2,100 employees in more than 30 offices across the country.

The company also decided to do regular town hall conference calls between senior executives and members of the Transwestern Young Professionals Group, which is composed of employees 35 or younger. The goal is to keep younger members informed and reassured and explain how the company has weathered past events that caused major upheaval.